Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter. Harry Potter and all associated characters and trademarks are the property of J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
CHAPTER FOUR: GRINGOTTS
"Evil is just a point of view."
-Anne Rice
At first glance, Diagon Alley looked perfect. But Lyra looked closer, and saw the flaws.
Some of the cobblestones were chipped and tarnished. Several storefronts looked old and rickety. The rich were vastly outnumbered by the poor. Overall, Diagon Alley reminded Lyra of an old lady trying to cover up her wrinkles with ridicolous amounts of makeup.
Her prospective father guided her through the throngs of people, until at last they reached Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Lyra's initial observation of Gringotts was that the goblins had clearly built it to impress. White marble columns supported a massive dome engraved with gold. She thought it looked like a cross between the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, and Buckingham Palace.
Engraved on the silver doors was a poem written in elegant, flowing script.
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there
Beside the doors was a small, swarthy figure wearing a uniform of crimson and gold. It had a sharp nose and long, elegant fingers and was clearly a goblin.
"How many people accept your challenge, Master Goblin?" she said to the door-goblin.
He gave her a sadistic smile. "Several fools each year. None have succeeded yet."
Marvolo had told her, before entering Diagon Alley, to be wary of the goblins.
She mused on what he had said to her earlier.
"Goblins are a race of sentient beings. They run the global wizarding bank, Gringotts, which was founded by a goblin named Gringott in 1474. They are not tall or physically imposing, but they are never to be underestimated. Goblins are a warrior species first and foremost. They have fought dozens of bloody wars with wizards and still mistrust most wixen. Treat them with respect. Do not avert eye contact. Remember, most wizards treat goblins like humans. They are not human. Goblins are not inferior to wizards, as some bigots think, but very different beings that must be treated differently."
Inside, hundreds of goblins sat on stools and chairs behind a long marble counter, talking to various wizards and witches. Some weighed coins on elaborate brass scales. Others were writing furiously in ledgers made of genuine parchment.
The Dark Lord strode in confidently, giving a respectful bow to the goblin tellers that escorted the pair. Lyra followed quickly in his wake. She felt out of place in her beat-up leather jacket, and somewhat jumpy. One hand unconsciously drifted towards her knife.
When they reached an unoccupied teller, the lord said something in an unintelligible language to the goblin.
The goblin responded, asking him a question in the same guttural language. The goblin looked at the ring on her escort's finger, before escorting them both through a long looping stone hallway illuminated by blazing torches into a small room.
Inside there was only a large desk. In front were two wooden chairs. They both took a seat and silently waited.
Around five minutes later, another goblin came in. Unlike the teller, this one was wearing exquisite armour made of shining silver and engraved with thin pieces of moonstone. His face was weathered and scarred, but his eyes were sharp.
"Greetings Account Manager Ripclaw, may your enemies fall at your feet."
The goblin gave a curt nod. "Greetings Lord Slytherin, and may your coffers ever be full. What have you come to me for?"
"I would like to get the young lady beside me a Blood Inheritance Test."
"Very well, Lord Slytherin," said Ripclaw. He then reached into a compartment of his desk and removed a large piece of parchment.
"What should I do?" Lyra said in a quiet voice.
"Cut your hand," responded Ripclaq, causing Lyra to raise an eyebrow, "and let a few drops of blood fall on the parchment."
Lyra reached into a hidden pocket of her black leather jacket and removed her dagger.
As soon as he saw the blade, Ripclaw's eyes widened.
"Where did you get goblin silver?"
Lyra cocked her head. "You mean my knife?" Ripclaw nodded. "Took it off a couple of Muggle criminals I killed in London."
Ripclaw looked deep in thought. Eventually, he said, "You may keep the blade."
Lyra pricked her thumb with the point of the blade. A few drops of crimson blood dripped on the paper. They then vanished.
A few seconds later, words written in a thin script began to appear on the parchment.
The further Marvolo read, the more shocked he looked.
Name: Lyra Zoe Noctis (Birth Name: Harriet Lily Potter)
Age: 8
Date of Birth: July 31, 1980
Mother: Lilian "Lily" Potter née Evans
Father: James Fleamont Potter
Godfather: Sirius Orion 'Black' (Disowned from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black by Lord Arcturus Black in 1979)
Godmother: Alice Marie Longbottom née Fortesque (deceased 1981)
Magical Guardian: None
Blood Status: Halfblood
Heritage: Distant Veela Ancestry, Distant Werewolf Ancestry
Houses: Heiress to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell, Heiress to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Le Fay, Scion of the Noble and Ancient House of Potter
Abilities: Parseltongue, Mage Sense, Partial Metamorphmagus, Natural Legilimency, Natural Occlumency, Lightning Elemental, Fire Elemental, Necromancy
"Le Fay? As in Morgana Le Fay?" Lyra said.
"Yes." Honestly, he was more surprised by her Peverell heirship. And her abilities! She was an Elemental twice over, a Parselmouh, a Partial Metamorphmagus, and a Necromancer! Truly, he had made the correct choice.
"My charge would like to claim her Ladyship rings."
"Is that corrected, Heiress Peverell-Le Fay?" asked Ripclaw. Lyra nodded and extended her left hand.
"Griphook!" said Ripclaw.
Almost immediately, another goblin entered the room. He was younger than Ripclaw, whom he faintly resembled.
"Yes, Great-Uncle?" Griphook said.
"Fetch the Peverell and Le Fay lordship rings, immediately!"
Griphook's eyes fractionally widened at hearing the two house names, before he bowed to Ripclaw and left the room.
"Account Manager Ripclaw?"
"Yes, Heiress Peverell-Le Fay?"
"Would it be possible for me to access the Potter vault?"
Ripclaw gave a wicked smile. He had never liked the Potters. James Potter was a rude, self-entitled man, his wife Lily was a pretentious harridan, and the less said about their precious Brat-Who-Lived, the better. Together, the Potter family embodied everything the goblin race despised about humans. So if Heiress Peverell-Le Fay wanted to drain their accounts, he was happy to help.
At that moment, Griphook returned. He placed two engraved boxes on the desk. Griphook again bowed to all three figures, before leaving.
Lyra reached cautiously onto the desk and opened the first box. Inside, resting on soft velvet, was a gleaming platinum ring. Inset in the band was a violet diamond. It was the ring of Morgana Le Fay.
Lyra gently slid it onto her ring finger. The ring briefly glowed purple, then shrank to fit her finger.
She opened the second box, which contained another ring with a band of gold engraved with strips of obsidian. Inset on the face of the ring was a large black stone that glowed with an unnatural light. Marvolo's eyes widened as soon as he saw it.
She then gingerly put the Peverell ring on the same finger. The stone glowed, before the ring, like the Le Fay House ring, shrank to fit her slender finger.
Both rings glowed, before fusing into a single ring of rippled gold and platinum set with an interlocking black stone and purple diamond. Throughout the process, both her prospective father and the Slytherin Account Manager remained silent. After the rings had merged, all three individuals stood absolutely still.
Ripclaw spoke first. "Congratulations, Lady Peverell-Le Fay. As you have claimed the Ladyships of two Noble and Most Ancient Houses, you are considered officially emancipated by Gringotts, the British Ministry of Magic, the Wizengamot, and the ICW."
"What is the ICW?" said Lyra. "And what exactly does being emancipated mean?"
"The ICW, short for the International Confederation of Wizards, is the international governing body of the magical world." It's quite similar to the United Nations. As for being emancipated, that would give you certain privileges, including the ability to use magic outside of school and the right to claim your Wizengamot Seats."
"Account Manager Ripclaw, may we visit the Potter, Peverell, and Le Fay Vaults?"
"You may, Lady Peverell-Le Fay. As you have not officially been Disowned by Lord Potter, you are still considered a member of his family and can thus access the main Potter vault."
"How many Galleons are currently in the Potter vaults?" Lyra asked.
Ripclaw discretely checked a sheet in front of him before replying, "15.3 million galleons."
Lyra smirked. If she recalled correctly, one galleon was worth close to five pounds. That meant that the Potters had a net worth in excess of £75 million.
"Lead the way, Ripclaw," said Lord Slytherin.
Ripclaw opened the thick door of his office and strode out into the rough stone hallway. They walked through a maze of corridors before arriving at a transport shaft. Inset into the rock were two shining steel rails that looked to be about 140 centimetres apart. Ripclaw raised one hand, and a wooden cart soon came screeching down the tracks.
The trio climbed in, each taking seats on wooden benches. Ripclaw pulled a long iron lever, and the cart leapt forward, smoothly racing along the rails. Lyra gave a scream of pure ecstasy. Lord Slytherin kept a face that looked carved out of stone. They raced through a maze of twisting tunnels and caverns. Lyra tried to silently keep track of the journey, but soon realised it was hopeless and gave up.
Finally, they branched out into a smaller tunnel and slowed. In front of them was a round, smooth stone door. Ripclaw removed a small golden key from a hidden pocket in his armour and carefully slid it into a complicated looking lock.
The door slid open without a sound, revealing a massive vault. Inside were mountains of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts, shelves of ancient tomes and scrolls, pieces of intricate jewellery, and suits of engraved armour.
Forty-five minutes later, when they left the vault, the two potentates had over fifteen million galleons worth of various currency, armour, jewellery, and dozens of invaluable texts, including the Potter Family Grimoire. Lyra also had clandestinely snuck a piece of old parchment that was labelled 'The Marauder's Map' and a cloak of shimmering silver fabric into her backpack. That book alone was priceless.
Ripclaw escorted them back into the cart, and they were speeding along the tracks once more. They descended deeper into the bowels of Gringotts until they reached the Le Fay vault.
Inside Lyra's hereditary treasury were even more coins that had been in the Potter vault. Those she left, as she had no need of them. She did, however, take various scrolls, tomes, and talismans as well as a variety of unusual magical artefacts.
The Peverell vault was close to the Le Fay vault, but very different than either of the previous vaults. Inside the vault, there was little currency, but there were dozens of shelves full of ancient books as well as hundreds of amulets and talismans engraved with elaborate runes.
After Lyra had emptied the vault of all inside (excepting the currency), Ripclaw escorted her and Lord Slytherin back into the cart.
Ripclaw pulled the lever, and they rapidly ascended through the stone tunnels. Lyra saw a burst of fire and caught a glimpse of a pale, scarred dragon, and saw a shimmering mist in the distance that might have been a waterfall. The trio finally reached Ripclaw's office and exited the cart.
Ripclaw gave a wicked smile as soon as they re-entered his office. "You, Lady Peverell-Le Fay, have just committed the greatest act of embezzlement in the history of Gringotts, and it was completely legal due to your current status as a Scion of House Potter. Truly, magnificent."
Lyra smirked. "Why thank you, Account Manager Ripclaw. I look forward to dealing business with you in the future. Would it be possible for Gringotts to combine all the currency from the Peverell and Le Fay vaults, as well as half of the money taken from the Potters, into a new vault in my name."
Ripclaw nodded rapidly. "Of course, Lady Peverell-Le Fay. It will be done immediately."
Throughout the ride to the vaults and Lyra's conversation with Ripclaw, Marvolo had remained silent, instead choosing to observe his chosen Heiress. But he spoke up in a voice of steel and blood. "Would it be possible for me to perform a Blood Adoption at Gringotts for Lady Peverell-Le Fay?
Ripclaw looked shocked, but quickly recovered. "Of course, Lord Slytherin. Do you consent, Lady Peverell-Le Fay?"
"I do," Lyra said.
Ripclaw escorted them both through yet another corridor to a cavernous stone chamber.
Five medi-goblins began to carve a runic pentacle on the stone floor. When it was complete, they gestured for Lyra and Marvolo to walk into the magical circle. Simultaneously, they walked into the circle.
They both held shimmering daggers of goblin silver. As one, they slid the blades across their palms. When the blood touched the runes, they began to glow gold.
Marvolo began to chant in Latin. "Obsecro Magicae sanguinem indignus purificare parentes venas pueri! Fiat mihi sanguinem fluxus in loco suo! Sicut dico, ita fiat!"
As soon as he began to chant, Lyra started to scream. She collapsed and curled up in a foetal position. Her bones began to burn as they changed shape. Lyra's muscles rapidly expanded and contracted. Her blood felt like it was boiling. Wisps of steam curled from her skin.
And then it was over. The runes faded. The blood disappeared. The pain vanished. The medi-goblins promptly left, but not before warning them to "Be gone in five minutes." Lyra felt— different; powerful. Marvolo wordlessly conjured a full-length mirror. Lyra walked to stand in front of it.
Lyra observed her new features. She was taller than before, at over 140 centimetres. Lyra's skin had become as pale as freshly-fallen snow, a far cry from her earlier light tan. Her figure was more lithe, with lots of sinewy muscle that gave her the figure of a dancer or gymnast. Lyra's face had become more harsh and angular, with high cheekbones and regal features. Her eyebrows were thin, but her lashes had become longer. Her black hair had lost its waviness, and now shone like a raven's wing. Her right eye had turned to a clear icy blue, while her left remained emerald green. Both gave off an unsettling glow. She gave a smile, revealing pearly white teeth. Her last connection to her so-called parents was gone (along with most of their riches).
Marvolo spoke in a voice of steel, "Arise, daughter! Arise, Lady Lyra Zoe Peverell-Le Fay, Heiress Slytherin and future Dark Lady!"
Author's Notes: Ripclaw is an OC goblin character created by me. Griphook does not have any canon relatives that I know of. The Latin chant used for the Blood Adoption roughly translates to, "I beseech Magic to purge the unworthy blood from the veins of this child! Let my blood flow in its stead! So I say, so mote it be!"